Link gear



R. FLOURNOY..

LINK GEAR. APPLICATION FILED mms, |917.

Patented July 19, 1921.

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LINK GEAR.

APPLICATION FILED IAN. 16| I9I7- l 1,385,123, Patented July 19, 1921.

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Muah ATTORNEY R. FLOUHNOY.

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APPLICATION FILED JAN-|61191- 1,385, 1 23. Patented July 19, 1921.

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LINK GEAR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 19, 1921.

Application led January 16, 1917. Serial No. 142,709.

To all 'whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT FLoURNoY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Seven Oaks, in the county of Polk and State of Texas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Link Gears, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has relation to valve gears for locomotives, and an object of the invention is toprovide a valve gearing for locomotives resembling somewhat a link motion of the Stephenson type, and in a similar manner employing an arcuate link but in which the number of parts required have been reduced thereby considerably simplifying the operation of the motion without losing any of the advantages of this type of valve gear.

Another object of the invention is to provide a valve gear for locomotives having the above named characteristics and embodying an arcuate link adapted to be supported for oscillation about a fixed axis thereby rendering the control of the link motion more positive and providing a more durable construction.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a link motion for locomotives which a single eccentric is only required at either side of the engine, in contra-distinction to like motions for locomotives heretofore employed where a pair of eccentrics was required at either side of the engine.

In addition to the foregoing my invention comprehends improvements in the details of construction and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter more fully described and particularly set forth in the appended claim.

In the accompanying drawings in which similar and corresponding parts are designated by the same characters of reference throughout the several views in which they ap ear:

`igure 1 is a view in side elevation with parts broken away of a link motion constructed after the manner of my invention embodied in a locomotive of conventional.

yllieig. 2 is a view in plan of the engine frame with the steam chest in section, and

' Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section taken in the line 3--3 of the preceding figure.

With the reference to the drawings,.and

particularly Fig. 1, l() indicates the steam cylinders of a locomotive of conventional type, 11 the piston rod and 12 the main cross head, to. which the pitman 13 is connected. T he main drivers indicated at 14 are provided with wrist pins 15 which are connected thrnugh the medium of a connecting rod 16,. thepitman 13 being connected to the wrist pin of the rearmost driver. This arrangement is in accordance with the usual practice, and each steam cylinder is provided with a steam chest, 17, superposed thereupon, having forward and rear ports 18 and 19 respectively providing communication between slaid chest and the interior of the steam cyliners.

.Each steam chest is provided interiorly with a slidev valve 20, whereby the ports 18 and 19 are lapped and uiilapped during reciprocation of the valve to control admission of steam into the steam chest. Each yalve 20 is provided with a stem 21 extend ing through the steam chest in a rearward direction and is provided at its end with a cross head 22 mounted for reciprocation in guides 23. Thus far the description has geen that of a conventional type of locomoive.

My improved link motion, includes a pillow block 24 mounted upon the longitudinal frame rails 25 of the locomotive frame,said pillow blocks being mounted upon the upper side of said bars and disposed somewhat to the rear of the steam chest. The pillow blocks 24 aie provided with bearings 26 upon their upper surfaces, the axes of saidbearings being disposed in horizontal alinement with the travel of the valve rods 21. Each bearing 26 is adapted to support for oscillation a link 27 which is formed of spaced arcuate plates 28 and 29, the plate 28 being solid while the plate 29 is formed with an arcuate opening 30. Mounted for movement in each of said openings 30 of the links 27 is a link block 31 apei'tured to receive a saddlepin 32. Plates 33 are appliedto either side of the link block, and said plates are slightly wider than the width of the slots or openings 30, whereby positioning the link blocks within the opening 3() and permitting its sliding movement therein from one end of the link to the other. A valve rod itman 34 is provided for each valve and link, and comprises a bar having one end pivotally connected to the cross head 22 of each valve stem and its Opposite end bifurcated as at 35 to engage opposite ends of the saddle pins 32, said pins being threaded to receive nuts whereby a fast connection is established preventing accidental disconnection of the valve rod pitman.

Extending transversely of the engine, and mounted upon the under side of the longitudinal frame bars 25 in suitable bearings 36 is a rock shaft 37 having its ends projecting beyond the sides of the frame bars and v'provided with arms on said ends indicated at 38, which extend in a forward direction. The extremities of said arms are connected to links 39 which extend upwardly and are connected at their opposite ends to the valve rod pitman 34 at 40. The rock shaft 37 is provided at its substantially intermediate -portion with an upstanding arm 41 having a pivoted connection at its upper end to a link 42 which extends rearwardly and is 'connected at `its rear end to a hand lever 43 mounted for oscillation upon a bearing 44 in the cab of the engine. A segment 45 is provided forguiding and limiting movement of the hand lever 43 and is provided with notches 46 in which a locking bar 47 is vadapted for engagement, the said bar being controlled through the movement of hand grip 48 mounted upon the upper end of the hand lever.

A pair of eecentrics are provided, one at each side of the engine, and as indicated generally at 49 are mounted upon the axle of the forward driver 14. Each eccentric comprises a disk 50 eccentrically mounted upon the axle of the driver, and a strap 51 encircles said disk having connection to an eccentric rod 52. Said eccentric rods 52 extend forwardly and upwardly and are connected at their extremities to arms 53 which vare in'turn connected at their opposite ends to trunnions 54 formed upon the rear faces ofthe links 23 and which trunnions are mounted for oscillation in the above mentioned bearings 26 of the pillow blocks 24. Thus, during rotation of the drivers owing to the eccentric connection between the axle of fthe forward driver and the links 27, said links will be continually oscillated, and furthermore the eccentrics are arranged with their disks 50 disposed at angular relations of 90, thereby causing the links to oscillate'alternately in opposite directions.

direction. Owing to the rotative movement 'ofthe drivers, the right hand link 27 will be oscillated to "move the slide valve 2O in a Vforward direction thereby lapping the port -118 r`and unlapping the port 19. Y In this manyne'rthe direction' of movement of the piston within the steam cylinder is reversed and the continued forward progression of the locomotive is thereby produced.

Again assuming that the parts are in the position shown in Fig. 1 should it become necessary to reverse the engine for travel in a rearward direction it is but necessary to move the hand lever 43 in a rearward direc` tion, whereby the rock shaft 37 will be rocked which in turn raises the valve rod pitmen 34 in an upward direction through the medium of the arm 38 and link 39. The link block within the link 27 will be moved to a point at the opposite end of the link, and owing to the position of the link at this time, the valve 20 will be moved in a forward direction, thereby lapping the port 18 and uplapping the port 19. Steam is thus admitted at the rearend of the Cylinder, thereby causing the piston within the steam cylinder to change its direction of motion (the steam having been thus reversed from one, end of the cylinder to the other), whereby the locomotive will travel in an opposite direction. It will be also obvious, that as the valves 20 travel in opposite directions a movement of the link blocks at the left hand side of the engine, will cause the left hand slide valve 2O to be moved rearwardly thereby reversing the admission of steam into the left hand steam cylinder.

Thus, it will be seen, that I have provided an extremely simple and novel valve gearing wherein the arcuate link usually employed is mounted for oscillation upon a fixed axis. In this manner adjustment of the link relative to the slide valve having been made is permanently adjusted and requires no further attention. Itis to be further noted that owing to the present arrangement, only ono eccentric at either side of the engine is required, thereby obviating the necessity for a o pair as heretofore employed. It is also to be noted that this arrangement enables the valve travel and lead of the slide valve to be varied much in the same manner as that possible in link motions heretofore provided. Other advantages of this link motion will be apparent to persons skilled in the art to which this invention appertains.

While I have illustrated and described my invention with some degree of particularity I realize that in practice various alterations thereover may be made, and I therefore reserve the right and privilege of changing the form of the details of construction or otherwise altering the arrangement of the correlated parts,without departing from the spirit of the invention within the scope of the appended claim.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

In a locomotive, box links disposed at an vangle to each other, each link having a first Cfr section and a second section, spacing means intermediate the sections, fastening means removably extending through the sections and spacmg means, pivot members extending from the iirst sections, means to mount said pivot members, the second sections havin elongated slots extending on op osite siges of the axis line of the pivots, 'nks, said links being bifurcated, one of said links at the bifurcated portion receiving one of the second sections, the other link at the bifurcated portion receiving the other second section, said links thus being mounted against lateral movement and being capable of movement past said axis line, removable fastenin means extending through said slots an the bifurcated portions, power-controlled mechanism operable through movement of the links, cranks extendlng from the pivot means, means to move the cranks, and manuallv o erable link mechanism connected to the 1i In testimony whereof I aix m name.

ROBERT FLO NOY. 

